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E46 (1999 - 2006) The fourth generation 3 Series (E46 chassis) was introduced in 1999 and set the standard for engineering and performance during it's years of production including being named to Car & Driver's 10 best list every one of those years! ! -- View the E46 Wiki

I recently noticed that my emergency flashers and master door lock buttons, which are side by side on the center console, are inoperative. I checked all of the relevant fuses and all are OK. It is unlikely that both of these switches would fail simultaneously. There must be a common link/wire connection between them. There are no other electrical issues noticed. THe only thing I can come up with is a few weeks ago I had my BMW dealership perform the tail light recall service bulletin. I am wondering if the problem is related to that update. Perhaps a wire that was not reconnected. Anyone see this before? Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks.

Bought my car with the exact same issue. Very common problem here. I used gorrila glue and electrical tape to fix this. The two buttons are held in by clips. Start removing the parts of the center console.
1. Lift/pry up the molding that hold down the shift boot. There should be two screws under the shift boot(Phillips.) IIRC the cup holders don't need to come out.
2. Get in the back seat and pull the ash tray compartment open and down so the ash tray pops out. Remove the two screws below the ash tray. Now this is where my mind gets foggy. I believe you will find some more screws below that. Remove them.
3. After all screws are removed the armrest/cup holder console should come free of the shifter console. This gives you access to the box holing the two buttons in.
4. You can buy a new box with these buttons online for pretty cheap. Unplug the old one remove it, replace with new one
5. Most guys on here just fix the old one. You will see where it is broken right away. All you need to fix it is some good glue and good tape (Elmer's and Scotch probably won't work lol.) Run a line of glue along the box where it is cracked/ broken then compress it and wrap some good tape around the whole thing (make surd you leave room for it to fit back in!!!) So don't go crazy. I left my in a clamp for a coupple hours to let the glue set.
6. Reverse everything to put back together.
7. This is a great time to do serious g
Cleaning in hard to reach areas.

Bought my car with the exact same issue. Very common problem here. I used gorrila glue and electrical tape to fix this. The two buttons are held in by clips. Start removing the parts of the center console.
1. Lift/pry up the molding that hold down the shift boot. There should be two screws under the shift boot(Phillips.) IIRC the cup holders don't need to come out.
2. Get in the back seat and pull the ash tray compartment open and down so the ash tray pops out. Remove the two screws below the ash tray. Now this is where my mind gets foggy. I believe you will find some more screws below that. Remove them.
3. After all screws are removed the armrest/cup holder console should come free of the shifter console. This gives you access to the box holing the two buttons in.
4. You can buy a new box with these buttons online for pretty cheap. Unplug the old one remove it, replace with new one
5. Most guys on here just fix the old one. You will see where it is broken right away. All you need to fix it is some good glue and good tape (Elmer's and Scotch probably won't work lol.) Run a line of glue along the box where it is cracked/ broken then compress it and wrap some good tape around the whole thing (make surd you leave room for it to fit back in!!!) So don't go crazy. I left my in a clamp for a coupple hours to let the glue set.
6. Reverse everything to put back together.
7. This is a great time to do serious g
Cleaning in hard to reach areas.

If this doesn't help just search, there are some good DIYs with pics.

Sent from my PantechP9060 using Bimmer App

TannerT: You da man; Thanks so much for this. I followed your procedure and found the same problem. The switch box had separated at the bottom. Used some super glue and clear packing tape and that seemed to hold it together nicely. Working great now.